# What is "standard" flatware in country X? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386 "2021-04-20T15:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/21 "2021-04-21T11:03:29Z")
I have a set of steak knives in a crate in Norway. Haven’t acquired one here in the US. Quietly to myself I say “if this requires a serrated knife I’d rather you’d made it a stew” whenever a place setting has a steak knife. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/22 "2021-04-21T13:20:13Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Many non-Asian American households where East/Southeast Asian food is often consumed also keep on hand a fair number of plain bamboo and/or wood chopsticks. > > But I don’t know where they come from. I have never seen a white American actually purchasing chopsticks. You know, I have a lot of chopsticks. I have freebie wooden chopsticks from takeout food. I have some nice lacquered chopsticks a friend gifted me after returning from Japan. I have some fabulous “every day” plastic chopsticks I bought in Japan. And then I have a dozen pair of bamboo chopsticks. And I have no idea how I acquired those. > [@naita](#): > > “if this requires a serrated knife I’d rather you’d made it a stew” Mmmmm, many of my favorite foods are better with a serrated knife. Or at least a sharp one. My steak knives aren’t actually serrated. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/23 "2021-04-21T13:31:55Z")
India: No utensils are standard at your place. You are expected to use your hands. Also, one person, traditionally the hostess, will serve everyone, so no one who is eating will touch the serving dishes. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/24 "2021-04-21T14:02:12Z")
If we’re eating formal, here, there will be a grand total of : 4 forks (main, fish, salad, cake) 3 spoons (soup, dessert, coffee) 2-3 knives (table, butter and steak only if steak is on the menu) Our canteen lacks dedicated fish knives. #sadface “Standard” place setting in a restaurant is dinner fork, dinner knife and a dessert spoon, I would say. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/25 "2021-04-21T15:08:39Z")
I must have 3 to 4 dozen pairs of chopsticks around the place, and I know exactly where I got them: Stater Bros market. Packs of them are right next to the soy sauce in the “International” aisle. There are very few things more useful around the kitchen and house than chopsticks. Stir sticks, spacers, props, you name it. Unbelievably versatile. Plus, I eat with them at least once a week. It should be noted that these are almost exclusively cheap bamboo with blunt tips. I hate Japanese style chopsticks. Utterly useless things. There are also a couple of sets of metal chopsticks that came in sets of travel utensils. Also useless, and heavy. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/26 "2021-04-21T18:42:54Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > There are also a couple of sets of metal chopsticks that came in sets of travel utensils. Also useless, and heavy. We were given two sets of metal chopsticks as a wedding gift. When wewe moved the second time in 8 years, we got rid of them. Sometimes I’m sorry we got rid of them, because they were a gift. But I don’t miss having them. We do have some disposable chopsticks from take away, so they just stay with the other leftover utensils, napkins and straws. Ever so often we might actually use one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/27 "2021-04-21T18:47:20Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > UK: Knives, forks, tablespoons, teaspoons. They’ll what you’ll get if you buy a cutlery set from Ikea or wherever. > > Steak knives are a common extra - I think most people use them for general sharp cutting uses rather than just for steaks. Most home cutlery drawers have a butter knife or two, though they’re not something you look to purchase especially - they’re just sort of there. I have no clue where or when I bought mine - perhaps I’ve had them since I first lived alone and have just carried them from house to house. OK, so if steak knives are a common extra and you might have a butter knife, what kind of knives are in the usual cutlery set? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/28 "2021-04-21T18:54:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I hate Japanese style chopsticks. Utterly useless things. They are less useful as spacers, stirrers, and oil thermometers, but they excel for eating food. I like they they are slightly textured and can easily grasp smooth food, and the slightly shorter length and pointy end gives me finer control. And I just toss them in the dishwasher after supper. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/29 "2021-04-21T20:47:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > OK, so if steak knives are a common extra and you might have a butter knife, what kind of knives are in the usual cutlery set? Dinner knives. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/30 "2021-04-21T20:55:45Z")
OK, thank you. I’ve always called those things “butter knives”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/31 "2021-04-21T20:56:34Z")
Butter knives are pretty small. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/32 "2021-04-21T20:59:03Z")
The things generally called [butter knives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_knife#/media/File:4Butter01.jpg), I always called butter spreaders, and yes, there’s usually only one in the kitchen. In my house, it’s in or on the butter dish. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/33 "2021-04-21T21:49:35Z")
Yeah, same here, kind of. I thought dinner knives and butter knives were the same thing: the knife that’s not pointy or sharp. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/34 "2021-04-21T21:57:01Z")
In fact, in Australia there is so much cutlery [the preferred local term - I’ve only heard silverware used for the genuinely posh stuff] confusion that it is the basis of a [national game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcE0aAhbVFc). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/35 "2021-04-21T22:58:37Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Did you know that in England, _everyone only has one spoon_ ? Yeah. … And if you lose it, you _starve_ to death unless someone in your family wills you their _spoon_ **“Everyone”?** Some of us have to take turns with the family spoon. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/36 "2021-04-21T23:08:49Z")
We used to suck on a damp cloth ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/37 "2021-04-21T23:30:08Z")
Luxury! We would have killed for a damp cloth. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/38 "2021-04-22T22:28:42Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The things generally called [butter knives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_knife#/media/File:4Butter01.jpg), I always called butter spreaders, and yes, there’s usually only one in the kitchen. In my house, it’s in or on the butter dish. The one I have, like most I’ve seen, is nowhere near as fancy-looking as those. It’s really not sharp and was never meant to be - you can use it like a normal knife, but it’s not great for that. That’s why they tend to hang around forever - no problem with them going blunt when that’s what they were supposed to be like. Dinner knives have a sharper blade. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/39 "2021-04-23T06:15:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > OK, so if steak knives are a common extra and you might have a butter knife, what kind of knives are in the usual cutlery set? > [@Acsenray](#): > > Dinner knives. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > OK, thank you. I’ve always called those things “butter knives”. [Dinner knives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_knife) are the normal knives in a set of cutlery, at least in the US. Butter knives are pretty uncommon until you get into actual silver. And then you can get into piss-elegant territory with the [master butter knife and individual butter spreaders.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_knife) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386/40 "2021-04-23T15:07:30Z")
“Dinner knives” have always been referred to as butter knives or flat head screwdrivers in my family. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-standard-flatware-in-country-x/940386.md?page=3)